It was, Kimmerer recalls, as if she had brought a two-headed porcupine into the classroom. I thought of it again on my walk a day or so later, when I stopped to abate my thirst in the degree swelter with some black raspberries ripening at the edge of the road. Actually, I think it loved me first. But when I harvest life-sustaining food that I did nothing to earn, something deeper happens: I feel the love of the earth for me; feel the relationship that humans and the land developed together during the many long years of evolutionary history.
Strawberries, and now dwarf varieties of blueberries and raspberries can be grown in containers on a balcony, porch or patio. Of these, we each have a preferred way that we naturally show love, and a preferred way of receiving it.
Of course, there was a which-love-language-do-you-speak quiz at the back of the book. If someone does something helpful for me it goes straight to my heart. The feeling goes exponential when it comes to food, whether someone cooks for me, takes me out for a meal or gives me fresh food from their garden.
How can I not feel loved, and feel inspired to love it back? Quality time would also figure strongly. People who love to hike, fish, camp, canoe β I imagine they have a similar relationship to this earthly home of ours.
Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pcbaxter verizon. Box 80, Kimberton, PA By Daily Local dailylocal dailylocal. More in Things To Do.
